Connect Part 1b: Ash And Misty
by Doriima-chan
Summary: Pokemon part 1 to my Connect Saga (Sailor Moon/Pokemon crossover) Misty's subconscious seems to be trying to tell her something...and somethings sending all the pokemon 'on the move'.
1. Doriimachan's Notes

Hi!

Just a few notes before you get into my first posted fiction 'Connect: Ash and Misty'

First of all, I don't even pretend that I own, or have anything to do with Pokemon, or anything else that's copywrited by someone other than me. This privilege goes to people far more tallanted than I. However, the plot of this particular fic happens to be all mine, plus any original characters I might add (although I'm pretty sure there aren't any in this particular story.)

Now, with the Disclaiming/claiming stuff out of the way, the stuff that might actually be of some importance.

First of all, this story takes place late in the Orange Islands quest thing, although it doesn't really fit anywhere - seeing as I just decided to add Brock into the mix. Why? 'Cause I could. You might find some slight (or major) OOC here, but that's not really on purpose.

Ash & Misty sits right near the start of my fanfic set called 'Connect', which is ordered like this:

Prologue: Empress (Sailor Moon)  
Part 1a: Family Union (Sailor Moon)  
Part 1b: Ash & Misty (Pokemon)  
Part 2: The Connection (Pokemon/Sailor Moon)  
Part 3: More Connections (Pokemon/Sailor Moon)  
Part 4: Beyond the Stars (Sailor Moon/Pokemon)

Ash & Misty is not a stand-alone story, It fits in with Family Union (To be posted as soon as the editing process is completed...I wrote the whole thing with Dubb names and now can't stand them...) and 'The Connection'(In Progress.)

Ok, I'm done now. If I haven't scared all potential readers away, I hope you enjoy my work.


	2. Prologue

**Misty smiled from the opening to her tent as she watched Tracey pack his sketchbook into his pack. "You're a really serious Pokémon watcher, aren't you?" She asked as Tracey walked toward his own small tent. He nodded. "Of course I am, why Misty?" He asked. Misty shrugged. " No reason." She made sure that Togepi was tucked into its little bed beside her, then looked out over the fire. It was then that Pikachu walked sleepily into the camp, followed by Brock and Ash who were carrying two canteens each. "We got the water." Ash said. Pikachu climbed into another tent, this one on the other side of the fire. Ash and Brock both yawned as they put the canteens away. Brock then crawled into the forth tent as Ash crept into the third behind Pikachu. Promptly, Misty heard the sound of three sleepers from inside the tents. She shook her head before closing the tent flap.**


	3. Misty's Dream

**Misty sat at the ocean's edge and watched the waves come in. It was dark, so dark that she was sitting in the only place that seemed to not be filled with shadow. All she could see was the water lapping at her feet and-even though it was so dark- thousands of bright stars up above. She ran some sand through her fingers, then looked up. She had heard something-someone-nearby. "Hello Misty." Said a youngish male voice that she couldn't quite place. "Whowho are you? How do you know my name?" She asked slowly. She heard the stranger sit down. "You are dreaming, Misty." The voice began. "I am a part of someone that you know, but you have never seen this part-as of yet." Misty was confused-of course, but believed that she was in a dream. "It is a beautiful night, the stars shining so brightly." The stranger commented, then Misty could feel his gaze shift to her. "Just like your eyes." Misty blushed slightly. "ThanksSomeone else once said about the same thing to me." She looked up at the sky. "Rudy, wasn't it?" Asked the voice. Misty nodded. "But somehow, it means more to me when you say it." She looked up at the stars and wondered why that was, then looked back at the darkness. "Can you tell me who you are?" She asked. She heard the stranger sigh. "I'm sorry Misty, I can't do that now, but we will meet again." Misty opened her eyes. "Oh, it ****was**** a dream." She confirmed to herself. She picked up the still sleeping Togepi and shook him gently. "Togepi, time to wake up." She said softly until he stirred. "Pi?" he asked as he opened his eyes. "Good morning." Misty said as she carried Togepi outside. "You want to hear about the strange dream I had?" She asked. "Togepi!" Was the happy response.**


	4. Day Plans

**The trainers, Pikachu and Togapi were sitting around the fire eating breakfast when Misty decided to mention her dream. "I had the strangest dream." She ventured. The others looked up. "Yeah? Strange how, Misty?" Asked Tracey. "It was very realistic, and I knew it was a dream." She had the group's attention now so she told them about the rest. "You couldn't recognise the voice either?" Asked Brock. Misty shook her head. "No, Not quite. I guess that since it was only a part of someone, the voice sounded a little different." There was silence for a while so Misty decided to change the subject. "What are we gonna do today?" She asked. Tracey took out the map and studied it for a moment. "Interesting." He began. "Not far from this part of the island there's a few places that are supposed to be great for finding Pokémon. They're just called Points' here. We could stay a few more days and visit a few of these spots." Ash nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me." He said. After some discussion, they decided to go to Sapphire Point.**

**"So Tracey, what kind of Pokémon will we find?" Ash asked as he mentally chose which Pokémon he would use to capture them. "Mainly water and grass at this place, it's right by a lake." Tracey answered. Misty smiled "Great, Water types! I can't wait!" She exclaimed. "You won't have to." Brock called from ahead as he pushed the brush aside to reveal the lake. By now, the trainers had a bit of a system which they put to work. **

**First, the trainers would follow Tracey to a patch of tall grass where they could look at Pokémon without being noticed. While Tracey filled more of his sketchbook, the other trainers would look around to see if there were any Pokémon that they would battle. However, this time when they looked for Pokémon all they saw were one or two Magikarp in the lake and an Oddish by the side. There were also some footprints heading west. Brock frowned. "There should be more here than this." He said. Tracey nodded. "Much more, I wonder where they all disappeared to?"**

**Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, two familiar people and one familiar Pokémon were wondering the same thing. "I don't get it." Said James as he looked through his binoculars. "I heard that this place is usually teeming with Pokémon." He scratched his head. "Well you heard wrong then!" Jessie said angrily. "This is a waste of time." Meowth suddenly looked interested in something. "Hey, wait a second- well what do you know, it's the twerps!" Jessie and James quickly donned the binoculars again. "Yeah, it's those brats alright." Jessie smiled. "Maybe there ****_are_**** a couple of worthwhile Pokémon here!"**

**"Hey!" Called Brock. "It was a good idea for us to come here after all. Look at all the fruit trees." Sure enough, there was fruit growing on all the trees surrounding them. "Hey great!" Said Ash. "I was starting to get hungry." The others felt similarly, so they spent some time raiding the trees. They were about to leave when they heard two very familiar voices "Oh no." The trainers said in unison, as they braced themselves. The dreaded 'Motto' was recited, and then Team Rocket got down to business.**

**"Since all the good Pokémon here seem to have vanished, we thought we'd steal yours to make up for it!" Jessie said as she threw two Pokéballs. "Go Arbok, Go Lickitung!" James threw his own Pokéballs. "Go Weezing, Go Victreebel!" The four Pokémon appeared and-as usual-James spent the first couple of minutes of the battle getting Victreebel off his head. Misty, Tracey and Brock each took a Pokéball. "Go Geodude!" Shouted Brock. "Go Scyther!" Tracey shouted. "Go Staryu!" Shouted Misty. Amazingly, Psyduck didn't make an appearance. Ash looked downward. "Ready, Pikachu?" He asked. "Pika." Said Pikachu with a determined and sort of sly look. Jessie looked at their opponents. "Arbok, Poison Sting Attack!" Arbok lurched forward toward Pikachu. "Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!" Pikachu's electricity disintegrated Arbok's attack, and very nearly did the same to Arbok! "My turn, Jess!" James exclaimed. "Weezing, Sludge Attack, now!" Weezing turned toward the Pokémon. Brock thought a moment. "Geodude, Tackle it!" The tackle sent Weezing flying. Jessie growled. "Ok Lickitung, use your Wrap Attack!" Misty stepped forward as Lickitung launched its attack. "Staryu, Double Edge!" Once again, the Good' trainer's Pokémon rammed into Team Rocket's before it could attack. Now it was James that looked angry. "Alright Victreebel, Poison Powder Attack!" Tracey grinned. "Ready Scyther?" He asked quickly. "Scyther-Scy." His Pokémon replied, nodding. "Ok, dice them up with your Slash Attack!" Scyther hadn't battled in a while so it went a little overboard and combined a tackle with the Slash attack, sending Victreebel and the rest of Team Rocket flying into the sky. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They said as they disappeared. Tracey laughed. "Nice one Scyther, I was just wondering who was going to do that!" By this time it was approaching night so the trainers headed back to camp.**


	5. Another Dream

**As Misty drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder if she would dream of the stranger.**

**Misty found herself in the same place on the dark beach. "Hi." Said the stranger. Misty smiled and looked toward the voice, knowing she wouldn't see anything. She heard him sit down on the sand, this time closer to her. "Is this a real place?" She asked. Though she could hear nothing, she felt him nod. "The light does almost the same thing there too." Misty looked into the darkness. "It would be easier if I knew who I was talking to." The stranger shifted. "I will tell you, Misty. But I can't yet." Misty looked up at the starry sky and noticed that the stranger was suddenly silent. "What is it?" She asked. "Just the way your eyes shine when you look at the stars. It looks like there are stars inside them" Misty smiled. "You seem to like to compliment me." She said. "And why wouldn't I?" The stranger replied. Misty smiled and turned her face back to the sky. "Misty-" The stranger stopped as if he couldn't continue. Misty opened her eyes and turned toward her admirer. "What is it?" She asked. The stranger hesitated. "May I-" He stopped again, sounding uncomfortable. "May you what?" Misty prompted. She heard him take a deep breath. "May I-kiss you?" Misty felt taken aback, but just for a moment. She reached out for his face and they slowly leant toward each other. Their lips met and Misty felt that even if she was only in a dream, it was the most real thing she had ever known. After a time, the two slowly pulled away from each other. "It's time for me to go now, isn't it?" She said. Misty awoke before he could answer.**


	6. Not Bugged

**Misty lay thinking about her dream for quite a while before getting up that morning. "What an ending." She said to herself. "I wonder if I'll have another dream aboutabout him tonight. Then what'll happen?" She was only distracted from her thoughts when Togepi awoke. "Toge-Toge-pi?" It asked as if saying Are you awake?' Misty laughed. "I guess you want some breakfast, huh Togepi?" She smiled down at the little Pokémon. "Toge-Toge!" This combined with jumping up and down meant: Yes.' "Hi guys." She said with Togepi in her arms as she sat with Ash and Tracey around a flat rock with the map spread in front of them. "Morning Misty." Ash replied. The boys looked up. "How'd you sleep?" Tracey asked. "UmmOk." She replied. They noticed her face go a little reddish but decided not to worry about it. Ash pointed to a couple of places on the map. "We were just trying to decide which Poké-point to visit next." He told her. Misty looked at the map for a moment. "Maybe we should try the one furthest from the one we went to yesterday." She suggested. "We might have more luck finding something." Brock came up to them then carrying their breakfast. "Good idea Misty, I'm really surprised at how few Pokémon we saw yesterday, and with all that fruit around too." After some discussion, the group decided to head to the Emerald Point, which was in the middle of a forest.**

**"I'm not exactly sure what Pokémon types are here." Tracey confessed when they were nearly there. Brock scratched his chin. "I think someone once told me that, but I can't remember." Suddenly Pikachu ran back to them from ahead. "Pikachu!" It said excitedly and pointed ahead. "Good job Pikachu." Ash said. The trainers speed up. Ash stepped through the foliage first. "Wow! Hey, come here you guys-" He walked back out with a half thoughtful-half worried look on his face. "Um, I don't think you'd like this place much, Misty." He said carefully. Misty had been daydreaming but understood what Ash had said and was already heading toward the point. "Why not?" She said as she walked in with Togepi in her arms and closely followed by the others. Ash ran quickly to stop her. "Wait! Don't go in there!" He called after her. "The Pokémon, they're all-" He stopped when he saw Misty calmly scanning the field. Her eyes passed over a lot of Pokémon-a few Caterpie and Metapod, some Weedle and Kakuna, a couple of Paras and Parasect, one or two Butterfree, several Beedrill, and some Pinsir. Misty wasn't even fazed. Ash finally finished his sentence. "-They're all Bug types." He noticed that Misty had the preoccupied expression she'd had all morning. "You feeling ok, Misty?" He asked, having known how she would have reacted normally when faced with such a large group of Bug types. She half shook her self out of her thoughts. "Me? I'm fine." Then she was gone again. Ash looked to the others and shrugged, then attended to the Pokémon. After a good look around he decided not to capture any more Pokémon just yet, as it had already been decided that if they found a lot of Pokémon they would return. He decided to battle them anyway, for experience. "Go, Bulbasaur." He said as he threw a Pokéball. He gave one more worried glance to Misty who was sitting on a rock with Togepi, totally oblivious to the Caterpie and Weedle crawling past her. Ash shook his head and retuned his attention to Bulbasaur.**


	7. Dreamy Finale

**_Dreamy Finale_**

**After the afternoon with the Pokémon, the trainers returned to camp exhausted, except for Misty who was starting to look slightly excited for some reason. She ate her dinner quickly and announced that she was going to bed early. Ash shook his head after she had left. "This is strange." He began. "It's like she can't wait to go to sleep, not like Misty at all." Tracey and Brock gave each other a look that plainly said I know what that sounds like, but we'd better not say anything.' "Why do you think that?" Brock asked instead. Tracey nodded. "Yeah, normally you'd be happy she wasn't angry with you today." Ash frowned. "That's one of the strangest things. She barely said anything all afternoon." He shrugged and returned to his dinner while the other two shared another look.**

**Misty was back on the beach once more, this time the stranger was already next to her, quite close although she still couldn't see him. Misty smiled. "I'm glad I'm back." She could somehow feel the stranger smile and look back at her. "You wanted to come back, so here you are. That's how dreams work." He shifted slightly closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Misty felt that the stranger was fairly strong and slim, though not too thin. "Shall we continue where we left off?" She asked. Her question was answered with a smile and a kiss. A few minutes later they pulled away from each other, but only long enough for a breath. **

**It was quite a while before the stranger pulled away completely. Misty sensed that something was amiss. She frowned. "What's wrong?" She asked. The stranger sighed. "II have to tell you who I am." Misty waited for a moment before answering. "Yes, I do want to know the answer." A few seconds later the sky began to slowly grow brighter and Misty began to see the outline of her secret companion. To begin with, what she already knew-he was very close to her height, and had longish hair for a boy. Then the detail started to become clearer. Misty's expression changed from curiosity, to suspicion, to sheer horror. She barely managed to utter one word before the dream ended. "A-Ash!!?!"**


	8. The Morning After

**Misty woke up that morning with a start, and who could blame her? "What?!" She exclaimed as she shot into a sitting position. "Morning Misty." Said a voice from outside. Misty froze-it was Ash. "M-morning." She said quickly and got herself ready to leave ASAP. She talked quickly as she ran out of her tent. "Morning everyone, just going for a walk, see ya!" She shouted as she ran out of the clearing. "What's wrong with her?" Brock asked from the fire where he was stirring something in a big pot. Tracey and Ash shrugged from the rock where they had studied the map the day before. "Don't know." Said Tracey. Ash got the same serious look as he had the night before when Misty had gone to bed early. "Weird, she didn't even take Togepi with her." He said. Brock frowned. "Yeah, normally she doesn't let it out of her sight unless she's asleep." He commented. It was then that Togepi decided to come out of Misty's tent. "Toge-pi?" It asked, while looking around for Misty. Ash stood up. "Maybe I'd better go find her." He said to the others and before they could reply he had disappeared into the foliage, with Pikachu following and Togepi in his arms.**

**Misty meanwhile was slowing down to a walk much further down the trail. She pushed some branches aside and gasped at the view. She was staring at a familiar shady beach, though not anywhere near as dark as it had been at night in her dreams. "I guess it was a real place." She mumbled as she headed for a familiar place, removing her shoes as she did so. Misty sat with the ocean lapping at her feet and gazed at the horizon. After about fifteen minutes, she heard the sound of someone coming. She turned her head and froze once more as she watched Ash put Togepi down. **

**"Hi Misty, I've been looking all over for you." He said and sat next to her. Misty began to shake but forced herself to stop. She looked up to the blue sky. "Uh, hi Ash." She said quickly. Something bubbled inside her but she kept calm-just. "You ok?" Ash asked and leaned slightly closer. That did it. Misty turned toward him and before he had a chance to react she placed her hand under his chin and kissed him viciously. A second later she had disappeared into the trees he had just come from, scooping Togepi up on the way. All Ash could do was blink for several minutes. **

**"Pi?" Asked Pikachu with wide eyes as it walked up to it's trainer. Ash finally found his voice-sort of. "She" He couldn't finish so he simply shook his head and stood up shakily and slowly headed back to camp.**

**When he reached the clearing, he found Brock and Tracey waiting. "Misty came back." Brock said. "She said to do whatever we were going to today without her, then she ran off again." Tracey added. Ash just blinked and sat/collapsed onto the grass. "What happened?" Brock asked. It took Ash a few moments before he could answer. "II found Misty, before she came back" Brock and Tracey sat down. "Yeah, then what?" Tracey prodded. It took Ash longer to continue. "II don't really know. I found her sitting on a beach, and she was acting kind of weird. I sat next to her" It took a lot more prodding by Tracey and Brock to get any more out of him, but finally he finished. "I asked her if she was ok, and she" He took a deep breath in and out. "Sheshe kissed me." This came as a great shock to the others and Ash saw it. "Just drop it ok. Have you decided what to do today?" Neither Tracey nor Brock could think of anything else to say so they just pushed the news aside and talked about the day ahead. "I think we should go back to Emerald Point today." Said Brock slowly. Ash nodded. "That's what we were going to do anyway." Tracey reached for his sketchpad. "Yeah, I'd like to do some more studying of those Pinsir." He said. With this decided, the three of them got ready to leave.**

**Meanwhile, Team Rocket was heading toward Emerald Point, but from much further away. They were deciding on their own day plans. "So we should go to this place. There are a lot of Bug types there." Finished Jessie. James frowned. "But what if it's a dead end, like last time?" He asked. **

**Jessie shook her head. "I already checked this place out. It's full of Pokémon." Meowth nodded and rubbed its paws together. "Those bugs won't get away from Team Rocket!"**

**Ash pushed the leaves away from the path into the point and walked inside. He stopped so short that Brock and Tracey almost ran into him. "What's the big deal-" Brock began, then saw what it was-or rather, what it wasn't. "What happened to them all?" Tracey said to no one in particular. In the same patch of wood that had been crammed with Pokémon the day before, the trainers now saw only the few Metapod and Kakuna that had been there the day before. "Something really strange is going on here." Said Brock worriedly. Ash looked around. "Maybe we should head into town tomorrow and see if there's a reason for this." He said. The other two nodded and turned to leave. "Pika!" said Pikachu and walked to a Metapod and began talking to it. After a few minutes, Pikachu walked back to the trainers looking downcast. "Do they know what happened to the others, Pikachu?" He asked. Pikachu shook its head and tried to tell the trainers what had been said. Finally, they got it. "The other Pokémon just left?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded and pointed west-the same direction the footprints in Sapphire point were heading. "They went that way?" Tracey asked. Pikachu nodded. Brock looked thoughtful. "Maybe that means something." He said. Tracey looked at the map. "Maybe tomorrow we should go to Crystal City and see if anyone there knows why the Pokémon are leaving the points." Ash nodded. "It would be pretty far from here to the city. It could take the whole day for us to get there."**

**Tracey, Brock, Ash and Pikachu returned to camp a few hours later without a sign of Misty. When it started to get dark the trainers began to become worried. "Maybe one of us should go look for her." Said Tracey. Brock nodded. "Which one of us?" Ash asked. Brock and Tracey looked at him. "Me?" He looked almost scared. "I think you need to talk anyway." Brock commented. Ash frowned but agreed. "I guess I should probably go while it's still light out." He said. "Come on Pikachu." He said and the two of them left the clearing.**


	9. Poke Match Making

**Ash and Pikachu wandered around almost aimlessly, but seemed to head in one particular direction. "Misty?" Ash called half heartedly, more like just saying the name. He sighed and looked down at the Pokémon at his feet. "What am I supposed to do when we find her, Pikachu?" He asked. Pikachu smiled with a glint in its eye but didn't so much as look up. "Well you're a great help." Ash said as he walked through the last of the trees.**

**Misty heard someone coming through the trees down the beach and turned her head from the sea. Togepi stood up beside her and looked toward the sound. Misty watched as Ash and Pikachu emerged from the foliage. "Ahh!" She cried out and stood up to run away. "Come on, Togepi!" She called, but for once Togepi didn't listen and instead continued walking toward Ash who was losing his nerve and backing up. "Let's go, Pikachu." He said as he backed away, but Pikachu didn't want to leave just yet. Instead, it began to walk toward Misty. This was clever on the two Pokémon's behalf, as they knew that neither trainer would leave the beach without them. "Togepi!" Misty said under her breath as she walked slowly closer to Ash. "Pikachu!" Said Ash as he did the same. When the two of them were about four feet away from each other they stopped and stood in silence. After a few minutes of this the two Pokémon walked toward each other and began talking earnestly. Finally they both nodded and stepped to the side. Confused expressions crossed Ash and Misty's faces as Togepi began waving its arms. "Togepi?" Misty asked as she faced the young Pokémon. "To-ge To-ge To-ge" a blue light shone from Togepi's arms and lit up the sky for a moment, then the blue vanished taking the last of the sunlight with it. "Togepi, you do know attacks!" Misty exclaimed, then glanced around at the now night sky. Her smile soon became a frown though as she recognised the scene. "Togepi, what did you do that for?" She said to herself. "Toge-pi" Togepi said as it looked around at the now dimly lit beach. "Pika." Pikachu replied and focused its energy. "Pika-CHU!" It said as an electric attack came from its cheeks. The beam of electricity hit the ground at Misty's feet, knocking her over. "Misty!" Ash cried out as he ran forward and caught her. "Are you ok?" He asked. Misty jumped away from him. "You keep away from me!" She said angrily. Ash frowned. "Me keep away?" He asked with a frustrated expression. Even in the dark he saw Misty blush a little. "What's with you?" He asked. "First you're friendly-too friendly if you ask me- then you're angry at me for stopping you from falling!" Misty kneeled down by the sea and looked out over the dark ocean. "I'm sorry Ash" She began. "I wish I'd never had those stupid dreams now." She said quietly. Ash looked at her quizzically. "Dreams?" He asked. Misty sighed as she told her story. "And then the sky lit up and he washe wasYou." Ash jumped at the finale. "What do you mean-me?" He asked. **

**Misty shrugged. "Just what I said. The guy in my dreams was you." She smiled to herself. "Although he definitely didn't act like you." She said a little quieter. Ash looked up at the now starry sky. **

**"Yeah, he wasn't so shy." Misty took a while to realise what he meant. "You mean, you're more like him than I thought?" She looked at him with a question in her eyes. Ash blushed a little. "II really like you, Misty. I guess I just never realised it before" The two's gaze linked, and at that moment they understood each other, and what they had hidden so deep inside themselves and for so long, that they had forgotten.**

**"It sure got dark fast." Brock commented as he finished cooking dinner for the trainers. Tracey nodded. "Yeah, I hope Ash and Misty get back soon." He said worriedly. The two trainers were silent until a rustling sound came from the direction Ash had gone in. "I wonder what that was." Brock said. Tracey picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction the sound had come from. "I'll tell you in a second." He replied. Through the binoculars, Tracey saw the two figures coming through the dark. A few seconds later he saw the silhouettes of Ash and Misty. "It's Ash and Misty." Tracey reported. "I guess he found" Brock looked up from the soup at Tracey's silence. "What is it?" Brock asked as Tracey pressed the button he used to zoom in. His expression changed from confusion to surprise. "I guess they did have a talk." He said as he slowly lowered the binoculars. "They're holding hands!" He exclaimed. "Give me those." Brock said and took the binoculars. "I guess we were right!" He said gave them back to Tracey. "I wonder if things will be a little more peaceful between those two from now on." He added as they came into view. Togepi was in Misty's backpack and Pikachu was riding on Ash's shoulder. "I hope so." Tracey responded as he and Brock walked to meet them.**


	10. Crystal Clear

**The next day the Trainers and Pokémon got up early to pack up camp before heading toward Crystal City. They were all quiet during the long trip, listening to the forest sounds. Though he didn't really mean to, Brock found that he spent most of this time looking at the youngest two of his companions, mainly wondering what exactly had happened to them the evening before. As for Ash and Misty themselves, they often caught each other's glance and shared a relieved smile, relief that the reason for their mixed feelings had finally been revealed. When Misty had awoken that morning, she had been disappointed, as the stranger' had failed to show up in her dreams. However, once she had seen Ash, she realised that she didn't need the stranger any more, now she had the real thing.**

**Meanwhile in the sky, a balloon carrying three passengers also headed to the City. "Are you sure you weren't just seeing things?" Meowth asked the girl with big hair. He was answered with a smack in the face. "I did not imagine all of those Pokémon, Meowth!" Jessie said and glared at the small Scrach Cat type. "It doesn't matter anyway." James interrupted. "Once we get to Crystal City, We'll be able to find out if the Pokémon are disappearing, or if you imag- error if they were never there in the first place." **

**Ash, Pikachu Brock Misty and even Togepi wore looks of amazement as they entered Crystal City-The biggest city in the entire Orange Archipelago. Tracey smiled at his companions. "Uh-huh. That's about the same expression I had when I first came here." He told them. "But I've kinda gotten used to the place now." He added as they followed him through the city. "Maybe we should find the Officer Jenny of this place." Ash suggested. "Yeah, she ought to know about the disappearing Pokémon." Misty replied. "I know where the police station is in this city. This way." Tracey said and pointed in the direction of the station.**

**When they got to their destination, they found Officer Jenny standing outside the front door looking worried, with a paper in her hand. She looked up as she saw them coming and gave a tight-lipped smile. "Hello there, can I help you?" She asked. The trainers went through the usual routine of Brock trying to flirt with her and being pulled away by Tracey who insisted that it was his turn, and the two of them started arguing-with the two Pokémon as their audience-while Misty and Ash talked to Jenny. "We've been to some of those Poke-points around the city and either there aren't any Pokémon anywhere or they're there one day and gone the next." Misty told the woman in the uniform. The police officer frowned and nodded. "You're not the only ones to notice that. The truth is, no one knows why the Pokémon are leaving the points, but there never seems to be any signs of a struggle at any of them." At this, Brock and Tracey stopped arguing and started listening. Officer Jenny looked at Ash. "You said your name was Ash, right?" She said. Ash nodded so Jenny continued. "Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Centre has told me to look out for you, she said that someone had sent you a message. Ash smiled. "Thanks. I guess we'd better go then." He said and turned to face Tracey. "Know where the Pokémon Centre is, Trace?"**


	11. Myths or Legends?

**The trainers followed Tracey to the Pokémon Centre. This one looked like it was made of pretty coloured stones, including the traditional giant Poké-ball on the roof. Inside, another Nurse Joy stood behind a marble desk. "May I help you?" She asked as the group walked in. Brock and Tracey both stepped forward then glanced at each other warily, as if they were about to repeat the argument they had had less than half an hour ago. Misty quickly saw the situation and pushed the two teens apart. "Don't start that again. We have more important things to do." She said in an exasperated tone. This brought the two teens back to Earth again. Ash walked up to the desk, with Pikachu on his shoulder. "My name is Ash Ketchem. Officer Jenny told me that someone left a message here for me." He told the Nurse. Joy nodded and took something out from behind the desk. "Here you go, Ash. This came a few days ago." She told him as she handed him a piece of paper. Ash thanked Nurse Joy and followed his friends so some seats nearby. He read the name at the bottom of the note as he sat down. "It's from Professor Oak." He told the others. "He wants me to call him as soon as I can." He said as he read the rest of the message. He glanced up at the computer terminals. "I guess right now then." He said and stood up.**

**"Hi there, Professor!" Ash said when Professor Oak answered. "Oh, Hello Ash. I suppose you got my note." He said with a serious look. Ash nodded. "Is there something wrong?" He asked lightly. "As a matter of fact, there is." The professor said, still looking very serious. This brought the others to attention. "What is it, Professor?" Misty asked from beside Ash. Professor Oak cleared his throat. "I suppose that the four of you have already visited some of the Poké-points around Crystal City." He began. The trainers all nodded simultaneously. "Then I would assume that you noticed the disappearance of many of the Pokémon at the points." He continued. The trainers nodded again. "Well, about a week ago I was asked to find the cause of this, and I discovered that the Pokémon are all travelling far out west-so far that they have gone past the Pokémon Boundaries." He finished. Ash looked confused. "What's a Pokémon boundary?" He asked. "Around the edge of these islands and the mainland, there is a boundary that no Pokémon would usually cross. Outside of this boundary, it is like another world. There are still humans, and all of the kinds of habitats that you have seen here, but the wildlife there is quite different. Instead of Pokémon, there are other kinds of creatures altogether-although some of them resemble Pokémon." Professor Oak realised he had gone off track. "Anyway, a group of people from both the orange islands and the mainland are all heading west-past the boundary-to see if they can round up the wandering Pokémon. I have sent Gary along to help." An angry look crossed Ash's face. "Gary!" He thought, then had an idea. "Maybe we could go help." Ash suggested. The professor smiled. "I was hoping you would say that." He said, then paused. "There were rumours that some new Pokémon had recently been spotted at some of the points. I currently have another Pokédex upgrade available, based on this data. If these Pokémon really exist, then you may need it on your journey." Ash smiled. "Do I just send my Pokédex to you like last time?" He asked. Professor Oak nodded. He pressed a button on his computer keyboard and a slot on the computer opened, just like last time. Ash put his Pokédex into the slot and waited the few seconds for it to come out. "When you open it, you will find another button below the others. Pressing this will bring up the images of the new Mythical Pokémon. The Pokédex will tell you about any information we have on them." Ash nodded as Brock thought of something. "How are we going to get to the place on the other side of the boundary?" He asked. "The place is called Tokyo' and I believe that until the Pokémon are back at the Poképoints, a ferry will be running to and from a bay there. I don't know much else about the roundup, the Nurse Joy of Crystal City should be able to help-she will be one of the people collecting the Pokémon that are rounded up and sending them back home." Ash smiled. "Thanks for telling us about all of this Professor. I'll call you if I get any news." He said before disconnecting the line. He then opened his Pokédex and sure enough, there was another button on it, labelled Mythology.' He pressed the button and the silhouette of a Pokémon appeared. It looked like it was made of something boiling, and had steam rising from it. "Larva." Said Dexter. "The Spitfire Pokémon. Larva is thought to be the evolution of Magmar, and to look like boiling volcanic rock. It is assumed that Magmar must need both a high power level, and a fire stone to evolve." Tracey raised his eyebrows. "Wow! I didn't know Magmar had an evolution!" He exclaimed. "What else does it say in there, Ash?" He asked. Ash pressed the button again, and this time about three silhouettes appeared that looked a lot like horses. "It has been said that there is a group of Pokémon known as the Elemental Ponies. Each one of them is a different element. One of these is the common Ponyta, and many Pokéologists agree that the others would be about the same size, weight and build. One of these semi-discovered Pokémon is known as Ponylea, the grass horse Pokémon. Also, it is said that a rock and an electric type exist, though they may only be rumours." All the trainers listened in on every word. "Wow, a whole new group of Pokémon!" Misty exclaimed. "I couldn't help over hearing." Said a feminine voice. The trainers turned to face the nurse as she continued. "If you have the Pokédex upgrade, then I suppose you four will be going on the round-up as well?" She asked. The trainers nodded. Nurse Joy pulled a sheet of paper from the pocket of her uniform and handed it to Ash. "This is the schedule that the ferry to and from Tokyo is running on. It would probably be a good idea to leave as soon as possible." She said, them walked back to her desk. Ash glanced at the timetable. "There are four ferry's going to and from Tokyo everyday." He told them. "Maybe it would be a good idea to stock up on supplies tonight, then go first thing in the morning." Brock said. The others agreed, so they set off to the Crystal City Market.**

**At the same time, two women with long, blonde hair walked into town. They looked around as they walked. "Excuse me, are you looking for someone?" Officer Jenny asked them. They looked alarmed, then calmed down. "No one in particular, officer." Said one of the women. "Maybe you could help us." Said the other. This one had a strange and fake sounding voice, but Jenny dismissed it. "We've just come from the woods surrounding this city, and noticed that few Pokémon seem to be around." Said the first woman. Jenny nodded. "All the Pokémon have been disappearing from the points. There are next to none left now any of them: Sapphire, Emerald, Amethyst, Ruby, Aquamarine, Diamond, Quartz, Sphene, Amber, Opal or Jet Point. A whole group of Trainers and others are going to find them." The two women nodded. "Thank you, officer." Said the fake sounding one as they walked away. "So we weren't crazy." The second woman said in a somewhat more masculine voice. "If they're making such a big deal about this, then there must have been some very rare Pokémon there." She (He?) added. "Come on, James." Said the first. "Let's get rid of these disguises and go find out what Meowth has dug up."**

**A little while later, Jessie and James were with Meowth on their balloon. The Scratch Cat Pokémon began to tell them what he had found out. "It turns out that all those Pokémon have gone somewhere that's past where anyone's gone before, somewhere called Tokyo" He continued to explain to them about the trip, and a little about the Mythical Pokémon that he had heard about from the Twerps' themselves.**


	12. To the Unknown

"Dock #3, The Ocean Princess. Yep, this is the one!" Brock said as he checked the name of the ferry. Misty frowned. "I just hope we have better luck than we've had with the other trips." She said and shivered. In particular the thought of the St Anne, and the Blimp to and from the orange islands, andwell, you get the picture. "Don't worry Misty, this one'll be better." Ash said enthusiastically. "Yeah, but that's what you said last time too." Misty reminded him. Ash shrugged. "We don't get much choice on how we get there, so I'm just gonna try to think positive." He said. Misty smiled inwardly as the four walked toward the boarding ramp. That was what she liked about Ash, that exactly.

Not long after, a lone Pokémon walked up the ramp and looked around. It saw how many people there were on the ferry and smiled. "This was what I've had been waiting for." It thought to itself. "Jiggly" It said and took out it's microphone (mark-o-phone!) for the ready.

Ash had just finished looking around when he saw Misty standing at the very front point of the ferry. He smiled as he walked up to her. "Looking out for ice bergs?" He teased as he stood beside her. Misty smiled. "Very funny. I just want to see what this Tokyo place looks like." She told him. Ash shrugged. "It probably won't look much different to anywhere else." He commented. Misty shook her head and resumed looking forward. "There must be something different, if there aren't any Pokémon there." She said. Ash nodded, then decided to take a bold step, and kissed her on the cheek. Both of them immediately blushed. "What was that for?" Misty asked quietly. Ash shrugged with a goofy smile and turned back to the steadily growing land before them, putting his arm around her as he did so. Misty smiled and followed suit, then rested her head on Ash's shoulder. Tracey smiled from a few feet behind them and took out his sketch book. "Almost as good as a camera." He said to himself as he began drawing the new couple, in a much more polished form than his usual sketches.


	13. Next stop: Tokyo!

Ash and Misty looked up when they heard a crackly voice come over a loudspeaker. "Attention all passengers. We will be docking in Tokyo bay in approximately 10 minutes. Once we reach port, could those helping the roundup through the detecting and collecting of the lost Pokémon please meet Crystal City's Officer Jenny at the west side of the port." Said the voice. "That would count us." Ash mentioned. Misty nodded. "Yeah, let's go find Brock and Tracey." She said. Tracey froze and then began to retreat. He didn't think that either Ash or Misty would appreciate their new double self portrait just then. He began to creep back toward the gangway, but neglected to use his finely tuned skills he had gained as a Pokémon watcher. Ash and Misty heard a clatter nearby, and turned to see Tracey stumbling on an empty soda can. Misty smiled. "Great, now we only have to find Brock!" She said as she helped Tracey up. He quietly thanked her as he tried to flip his sketch book shut. "Hey, what's this?" Ash asked as he got a quick glance at a picture that he hadn't seen before. "Oh umIt's nothing!" Tracey said quickly as he tried desperately to close the book. Unfortunately, his nervousness prevented him from doing so. "Come on, lets see!" Misty protested and grabbed the book from him. Ash stood beside her as she flipped to the most recent sketch. Ash and Misty looked down at the sketch, and turned red with embarrassment, then they both faced Tracey and became even redder with anger. "You were SPYING on us!!" Misty screamed in his face-difficult since she was still a few inches shorter than him. Tracey shook his head in fear. "N-n-no" He stammered. Misty pulled the drawing out of the book and thrust the book back at Tracey's chest. "Go find Brock. We'll meet you at the gangway in five minutes." She ordered, angrilly. Tracey quickly nodded his head and gripped the sketchbook. He then ran off, slipping and almost falling over the same can again. Ash and Misty watched him go, then they both looked at the drawing again, thoughtfully. "You know, he wouldn't make a bad artist." Ash mentioned. Misty nodded. "Yeah, I wonder if we can find a xerox machine anywhere in Tokyo"

"Ok, is this everyone?" Officer Jenny asked another police officer as she looked over the crowd of about 30 people. "This is the lot." He answered. Jenny nodded and stepped up to a microphone. "Hello eveyone, and welcome to Tokyo." She began, and then told everyone about the differences between their home and Tokyo, then about what they had to do. "So once you find a wild Pokémon, take it straight to the nearest collecting and shipping building. Each of you will be given a map of the city which shows where these are, and where some other major parts of Tokyo can be found. Remember, every single one of you is important to the round up. Good luck." Jenny smiled and turned off the microphone. "Huh?" She said, as something tapped her foot. "A Pokémon!" She exclaimed as she looked at the pink, round creature. "A Jigglypuff." She said, then saw the microphone in its hand. "Oh, you're THAT Jigglypuff!" She exclaimed, and walked away from it as fast as she could. Others in the crowd also noticed the Pokémon. "Hey, what's Jigglypuff doing here!?" Misty asked. "Jigglypuff!?!" Brock exclaimed. "Uh oh." Ash added. All four trainers began to sprint away from the stage, further and further away from the boat, and their world.


End file.
